Recurrence of equine coital exanthema in thoroughbred stallions

The object of this study was to evaluate recurrence of equine coital exanthema (ECE) whether re-infection or re-activation of causative virus. ECE is a venereal disease of horses caused by equine herpesvirus type 3 (EHV-3). Like other herpesviruses, it may persist in infected horses for a long time. There is a controversy on the cause of ECE as the recurrence or the reinfection. This disease had occurred firstly on stallions and broodmares in Korea. The horses had rebreeded after healing routinely. Next year, the disease recurrented on the just same affected horses among stallions. The result of this study, re-outbreak of ECE in stallions is recurrence of ECE, but not reinfection of the virus.